User blog:Saint Altime/The Viper of Karamja
It was a warm, cloudy day filled with gusts of humid air that besieged the sides of the frigate "Guthix's scale". On top sat several figures notable in certain circles, each separated and looking off into the horizon as the crew scurried about. In particular, towards the back of the quarterdeck, leaned against the railing stood a man dressed in dark blue garb, crowned with a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a skull, and next to him a young woman in generic traveling clothing. The captain of this vessel, a man in his mid-50s and sporting a large grey beard stepped from the wheel and towards the man in blue. He crossed his arms and spoke up. "Lotta fruity-lookin' lads headin' to Karamja. Circus taking a detour?" The man in the blue hat smirked and replied; "Something like that." To which the captain replied "I like ye, so I'll tell ye something. Been traipsing these waters for the better part of 30 years. I can feel in my bones when the sea is angry, and right now she's gearin' up for a real tantrum." The blue man's smirk faded, and he nodded in understanding. He turned his head now to his female companion, no more than 17 years of age. She shifted her head from the distant horizon to the man in blue, having sensed this was serious. "He's right. There's a storm rolling in that's building up to be a big one. We need to get in and get out as quickly as possible. We'll have to sleep in shifts." She nodded, and then turned her head to the variety of strange people gathered on top of the various decks, each distinctly not sailors. "Going to introduce me to your friends?" The man in the blue hat sent his gaze to those in question. There were 4 others in total, and none of them talked to one another. He started at the far left and moved right with his descriptions. "The one portside is Emmanuel Moritz. Specializes in throwing weapons and daggers. Frequently poisons his targets with tranquilizers so that he can take them alive. He'll likely head for the food storage of The Viper and wait it out. There on the fore deck to the left is George Salucia. He's a real brute. Big ego, too. Carries around a set of warhammers and sees no need for a shield. Wouldn't be surprised to see him try a direct assault into the jungle, knocking down trees in his wake. He's got a good track record but I don't think he's ever taken on a bounty target as shifty as this one. To his right is a woman known only as The Rose. I've only seen her in action once but it wasn't pretty; used a single vine to strangulate and decapitate some bandits guarding a stolen statue we were hired to recover. I can't get a read on her so she's someone to watch out for. Up there on the crow's nest is a wily bastard called Cork. Really fond of bows. Damn good at climbing. He'll probably try and ambush The Viper from a tree and shoot him in the head." She considered the information carefully and evidently made a mental note. She wrapped her hands around her twin swords instinctively, tapping her fingers on them nervously. The man picked up on this and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Relax. Moritz and Rose are the only two we have to worry about. The other two are dangerous but it's not in their M.O. to attack other bounty hunters. For the most part all we'll have to worry about are snakes and monkey shit." He grinned slightly, releasing her from his grasp. She smiled back. Soon, the ship entered Karamja's port and each of these parties stepped onto the dock. They headed into the small town off to port and all the bounty hunters went their seperate ways. The man in blue headed into a nearby bar, followed closely by his female companion. He ordered a single drink, for himself, all the while chatting up the bartender. "Know where a guy can get some work around these parts?" The bartender continued cleaning glasses, responding with a simple "No." Yet, the man in blue pressed on. "Don't know a single place on this island where I can get a job?" The bartender set his glass down and gave the bounty hunter a venmous glare before replying. "I know your type. You came off the boat with those hunters. You're one of them. Your weapons prove it." The bounty hunter stood up from his stool, put down the necessary gold, and left for the streets. He walked down them with the woman accompanying him following steadily behind. She broke a short silence by looking up to the back of his head and speaking. "They're working for the Viper, gotta be." "Could be. Could be scared of him. Don't think The Viper would have his men be so openly hostile to Bounty Hunters in town." he replied. "Why's that?" "Good way to get them killed. Doubt he has many agents in the Karamjan government, either, so he's not going to get away with obvious murder. Good henchman would've tried to lure us into a trap." The walked the rest of the way to a nearby inn in silence. They entered and eyed over a mess hall where various travelers dined. After a short time, they headed to a small wooden counter and purchased lodgings for the night. Two side-by-side rooms were rented, one for each of them. They each went into their rooms and shortly after the man in blue emerged from his. He made his way to the exit, only to be intercepted by the bounty hunter George Salucia. He stood up quickly from a wooden table and accompanying bench and stood in front of the blue man, blocking his path. George stood at roughly 6'5, putting him 4 inches taller than the man in the blue hat. He looked down somewhat angrily at the man and spoke. "Well well, if it isn't John Jones. I never did repay you for taking my bounty in Kharid." "Maybe if you're weren't so stupid you would've noticed your bounty target ran off while you took a nap." This clearly made the man angrier, and he grabbed John by the shirt. "What'd you just say to me?" "You're so dumb you didn't even notice my friend sneak up behind you and put a crossbow aimed at the back of your head just now." George turned around wildly in search of this mysterious friend, but found no one matching that description. The people eating in this inn instead watched as John swiftly pulled a pistol crossbow from his side, loaded it, and pointed it at George. By the time the behemoth man turned around, he found a bolt aimed directly at his face. "That's the oldest trick in the book, George. Go back to your room." George looked flustered as he realized he'd been tricked and after a brief minute of total silence, he stormed off towards the rooms and the room returned to eating and chatting amongst themselves. John made for the door. Category:Blog posts